Hi Dick,
Glad to see someone else will be on the Sapphire with us.I'm a little nervous about it being her maiden voyage. Hoping the ship will be ready to go when they say it is. We were on the grand in 2002 and loved our cruise to the western carribean.Still haven't researched which excursions we will want to do. Trying to figure out which hotel to stay in before and after. Any suggestions?Lisa and Erik

We were on the maiden voyage of the Regal Princess in 1991 so I know what to expect. This is our 31st cruise and sixth to Alaska, so we are on familar grounds. Have also been to Victoria before. We were on the Grand twice, including it's first Carribean cruise. We booked a BE guarantee in November and were upgraded to Cabin C612 per the Cruise personalizer, feel free to stop by with a note as to when. Expect little gifts nightly. As Priority Club member I may stay at the Holiday Inn express at the airport the day before (good rate). Still shopping for the right airfare as I turn 62 in a few weeks. I like to get there a day early as the airlines aren't what they used to be. Hope to see you soon as it is always nice to make new friends on these cruises.

Hi Dick,
Wow, You are quite the cruiser.I was wondering whether maiden voyages are more unorganized?I figure ships take a while to work out the kinks.Are you concerned about the ship being ready on time? I've seen some posts that suggest that the ship may still not be ready when we are due to leave.I'm just imagining rearranging all of the airline tickets, hotel reservations and so on. We are planning on coming to Seattle on Saturday. We live in Virginia so it will be a long trip. We are going to stay in Seattle a couple of days after as well. Never been to Seattle or Alaska. We may stay in the Marriot that Princess has a deal with prior to the trip. Not sure yet. We have such a short time in Victoria what excursions are available to us? Do you recommend the train ride in Skagway?We thought about the glacier excursion in Juneau where you trek around with crampons.That would be neat to meet you on the ship.Take care. Lisa

The ship is already a month late. Princess transfers experienced people to the ship so I'm not worried. I'm not making flight plans until after my final payment is made. Do the train ride in Skagway. Done it twice. See the gardens in Victroria (Done it). We get there two hours sooner than the Diamond and it stays light till 9 PM when we Sail. The glacier in Juneau can be see off the bus trip. See the totems in Kechakan. The Diamond will be there for a month before we sail so I expect to read some reviews. Make plans after you read reviews. See you there. Dick and Mary Stein

Hi Dick,
Thanks for the advice. I forgot about the fact that it will be light so late in the evening. The gardens in Victoria sound great. My friend took the train in Scagway she said it was beautiful but kind of long. Still deciding on that one. That sounds like a good idea to wait and see which excursions people like on the diamond princess. Just booked our hotel the night before at the Westin for 139 a night. Princess had a 129 rate with the Westin but their rooms were all taken. Happy Valentines Day. Lisa

Lisa: Sorry to hear about room you booked at Westin. See story by Kuki on priceline and read it. It has good advise. Go to www.biddingfortravel.com. They give you advise on bidding on hotels in Seattle and all around the country on priceline. Try it, you can usually get out of a reservation unless you guarnteed it. I belong and use it. Have not made plane reservations yet. I go to Bestfare.com and check fares and they do not extend out far enough yet. Hope to see you soon. I only cruise a lot because I shop smart. Hope you had a happy Valentines day. Dick

I'm looking at booking the Saphire for the Mexican Riviera so will be waiting to see how you folks like the ship!

By all means, Lisa, do the train ride in Skagway, it is a great excursion! We were the only ship in port when I was in Alaska so I did not need to book it ahead. With so many ships in port these days, you might want to book through the cruise line to make sure you get onboard!

I did excursions in each port but also enjoyed just walking around the towns very much. Juneau is quite the hike, uphill but worth it for the views, the little Russian Orthodox church is interesting.

Ketchikan and Skagway have walking tour maps which really gives you more of a feel
for the history of the towns. Skagway is part of the National Park Service and you can start the walk at their visitor center. I was amazed when I got back onboard and talked to people, how many didn't even realize or stop at the visitor center.

train ride in Skayway is great!!!!! try to sit by window going up for better pictures. the tram ride in Juneau is wonderful but try to go in the morning as clouds come in quickly and it becomes foggy , this applies most of the time in Alaska, at least when we were there. we went on a river raft trip in Juneau, where the glacier "dumps" in the ice, that was fun..........cold...........but fun. Regardless of the time you go, be sure and take warm clothes, layers, Have a wonderful time and vote to keep Alaska as natural as possible, it is truly a national treasure!!!! Sitka nature boating was great too. If you prefer land excursion, Sitka is ok, but wasn't my favorite. JUNEAU

Hi all,
Dick , Iwas confused by your message about the Westin. is that a lousy place to stay or did I get ripped off? I need to check out the fine print and make sure I'm not paying 129 per person per night at the Marriot following our cruise. That would be terrible. We booked at the Westin on our own not through princess so I know that the price is 139 a night. thanks to all of your for your advice about excursions. we will likely do the trainride in Scagway. Maybe even do the excursion that only goes one way on the train so we can see other things.Noticed that airfare prices have dropped quite a bit. You may want to check out rates. Have a greta day. Lisa